Hello And Help

[Sharknado99]

Hi everyone
 
I'm new to the forums and a total noob.
 
I have a red tailed shark and two small platys in my 70L tank. I cycled the tank and tested the water and all seems okay.
I really want to do this right in the hopes of maybe getting a bigger tank and more fish later on.
 
I have been following a lot of the threads etc on this forums both before and after I bought the fish. I've had them for a few weeks now and they seem really happy.

Lately however, I found that the red tailed shark gets chased around a lot by the smaller platys. He himself is a baby..maybe slightly over an inch long but i thought that sharks were supposed to be the aggressive ones. I got him two hidey holes to hide in and the platys seem to be really inquisitive and like to use those hidey holes themselves. they sometimes chase the shark out.
 
In addition to this, I noticed that he has a small whitish patch on his underside. I tried taking photos but its so hard because he's fast, and so small and my iphone camera is just so crappy, it always comes out blurry. In any case, he still seems to be swimming around happily, scrounging for food bits at the bottom of the tank etc. I really dont want to lose him because he's just sooo gorgeous..I dont know if he had that patch when i bought him because he hardly shows his underside but do you think its something I should be concerned with?
 
Also..I'm really confused with how much I should be feeding these guys. I know the shark is a bottom feeder so its preferable for some food to drop to the bottom but the platys seem to be eating so much at the top. I dont want the poor lil fella at the bottom to get hungry or feel he has to fight for his food.
 
What do you guys think? 
 
I have a water testing kit at home and the water is absolutely fine..the water is at 26degrees Celcius.

 

[Ninjouzata]

to the forum, I hope you enjoy it here!
 
Just in case you didn't know, the tank is not big enough for your shark, he'll need something like a 55g (208L?) when he gets bigger.
May I ask how you cycled the tank? Did you follow this? http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/
 
A white patch does not sound normal, and I'm not sure how I can help you on getting better pictures..
Unfortunately I'm not good at fish illnesses so hopefully someone else can give you some ideas on what it may be and how to take care of it.
 
What are you feeding currently, and how much/often?
 
When you say fine, can you give the actual readings? (pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate).

 

[the_lock_man]

This white patch, does this look fuzzy, or like discoloured scales?
 
Regarding the feeding, it would be good to get some sinking food. I personally use Sera Vipagran, which are granules which gradually sink, allowing all levels to get some food.

 

[Sharknado99]

Hi all
 
Thank you. I'm due to test the water today when I get home.
 
I will post the results here as soon as i can. 
 
yeah its really hard to tell if the patch if fuzzy or just a slight discoloration of his scales/skin...
 
I cycled the tank for about 5-6 weeks before adding any fish and then added them one week at a time. (Except the platys because the LFS said that they like having at least one companion).
 
I tested regularly until I was satisfied it was ready...I know the ammonia results were definitely zero but I'll get the actual readings today and post here..
 
Thanks again everyone

 

[Sharknado99]

Hello
 
Tested today using the API Fresh water Masterkit.
 
Ammonia: 0
 
Nitrite : 0
 
Nitrate : 0
 
The startling discovery i made was PH was 7.6
 
Thats really high isn't it? What can I do to bring it down? Poor little fishes

 

[Ninjouzata]

Did you add any ammonia to the tank during that time?
7.6 is fine, most fish can adapt to the pH of your tank, and if you get them locally they are usually already used to the water.

 

[SimpleDog]

With 0 nitrates in the tank, it is my guess that the tank was not properly cyled using an ammonia supplement to build the bacteria. While it is goo that you have no ammonia present, I can 100% guarantee that you are in a fish in cycle and will need to get a liquid test kit as the strips used by pet stores are garbage. monitor your parameters everyday and change th water if there is even a hint of ammonia.

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Your pH is fine, nothing to worry about.
 
How often and how large are your water changes?
 
While you were cycling, did you add a source of ammonia.
 
How long have you had your fish?

 

[Sharknado99]

Hello there
 
I do 20% water changes once a week.
 
The source of ammonia i added was fish food and also added live plants and snails. I let them sit there for most of the cycling period.
 
I"ve had my fish for about 3-4 weeks now. and the nitrates had a very minimal reading. I put zero because it was closer to the yellow than the orange in the little chart that it came with.
 
I have those bioball things in the filter too - the ones that are good for the good bacteria to grow in. (substrate pro or something like that)
 
i also added something called Nutrafin Cycle just before i added the fish...

 

[the_lock_man]

and change th water if there is even a hint of ammonia.

 
This is not strictly true. It depends upon what one's pH level is. At low pH, even a reasonably high level of ammonia is not toxic, as it is in the ionized ammonium form. At high pH levels, more is the toxic ammonia, and you would want to change your water at a lower ammonia reading, but to change water when there is a hint of ammonia will mean the cycle takes longer. The filter will still cycle, but it will take a longer period of time.
 
In the OP's case, at a pH of 7.6, you would want to change water at relatively low ammonia readings.

 

[Sharknado99]

Ok good to know. I'll monitor ammonia levels more frequently from now on. 
 
When I first got my fish, I didnt know about the testing kits and i was overly paranoid about the ammonia and was doing water changes like very 3 days or so...But I read on here that its a bad thing to do so i got the testing kit and only change once a week. I wonder if my early paranoia is why the nitrates are so low.
 
In any case, thanks for all your help. I'll keep a close eye on the shark to see if the white patch gets worse. I really hope he's not sick. 

 

[SimpleDog]

 

and change th water if there is even a hint of ammonia.

 
This is not strictly true. It depends upon what one's pH level is. At low pH, even a reasonably high level of ammonia is not toxic, as it is in the ionized ammonium form. At high pH levels, more is the toxic ammonia, and you would want to change your water at a lower ammonia reading, but to change water when there is a hint of ammonia will mean the cycle takes longer. The filter will still cycle, but it will take a longer period of time.
 
In the OP's case, at a pH of 7.6, you would want to change water at relatively low ammonia readings.
 

Hey, thanks for hte info. I honestly did not know that. I have always been taught to water change at any presence of ammonia. I will keep that in mind when I set my tanks back up and go back through the cycle as the pH in my area is relatively low. 

 

[Blondielovesfish]

 

and change th water if there is even a hint of ammonia.

 
This is not strictly true. It depends upon what one's pH level is. At low pH, even a reasonably high level of ammonia is not toxic, as it is in the ionized ammonium form. At high pH levels, more is the toxic ammonia, and you would want to change your water at a lower ammonia reading, but to change water when there is a hint of ammonia will mean the cycle takes longer. The filter will still cycle, but it will take a longer period of time.
 
In the OP's case, at a pH of 7.6, you would want to change water at relatively low ammonia readings.
 

 
I thought it was the other way around?  
 
I remember asking TTA about doing a fish in cycle and I'm sure e said that ammonia wasn't very toxic at high pH but nitrite was. 
 
Might be wrong? IDK

 

[Sharknado99]

I hope it is ok to post all my questions on this one thread rather than opening new ones up.
 
I did a water change yesterday... I cleaned all the gravel with a vacuum and took out about 30% of the water. I was aiming for 20% but i think i took out a bit too much..
When i poured the water back in, I guess I must have been too heavy handed because after I did so, the water became cloudy with all the gunk from the bottom being disturbed...
I know i can do really silly things sometimes but this takes the cake LOL...
anyway, so how do you guys put water back into the tank..do you use a jug to slowly empty it in etc?
 
Sorry for all the noob questions..i've seen so many videos etc with ppl just chucking water in at the end and even washing the filter stuff in tap water.. 

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Make sure to not wash the filter media in tank water, the chlorine will kill all the good bacteria.
 
Personally, I use a pet food container that I accidentally stepped on so has lots of cracks in it, I also drilled some holes in the bottom. I pour my water into this and it almost never disrupts my substrate, it takes a bit longer than just dumping it in, but IMO its better than having a cloudy tank.